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T A DAVIES RAILWAY RAIL FISH PLATE.

No. 402,724; Patented May 7, 18 89.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. DAVIES, OF NEI/V YORK, N. Y.

RAl LWAY-RAI l.- FISH-PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,724, dated May '7, 1889.

Application filed June 9, 1888. Serial No. 276,595. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, THOMAS A. DAVIES, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Rail Fish-Plate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to animprovement in railway-rail fish-plates, and has for its object to provide a frictionless and rigidly-attached plate, and one in which all the wear will be sustained by keys interposing the plate and flange of the rail, which keys may be readily detached and replaced; and the further object of the invention is to provide a plate capable of expeditious and convenient attachment to or detachment from a rail.

The invention consists in the combination,

with a rail, of two fish-plates having their lower ends bent to extend and be hinged together beneath the rail, and the under face of the inclined section tapered longitudinally from end to end, and a key intervening the inclined under face of the plate and the base of the rail; and the invention further consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure l is a transverse section through a rail having my improved plates applied, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

In carrying out the invention, A represents the rail-head; B, the web, and B the flange or base. The opposing fish-plates, D, are alike in construction, and consist of a piece of suitable metal bent upon itself to form the perpendicular strap-section cl, provided with a head, (1', adapted to the contour of the under surface of the head, and also, preferably, with an inner longitudinal rib adapted to engage the web, whereby the main body of the strapsection is held a suitable distance from the Web of the rail and a perfect upper bearing obtained. The base of the strap-section (Z is bent downward and outward to form an upper inclined section, 01 the under surface whereof is laterally essentially parallel with the rail and longitudinally tapered from end to end, as best shown at d in Fig. 1. The outer end of the inclined section is carried vertically downward, as shown at d outside the edge of the rail-base, and horizontally inward, as illustrated at 61 in contact with and preferably to and stopping at the center of the said base, at which point a series of knuckles, D, are formed, preferably three, in the length of each plate. The knuckles D are so spaced as that when the lower edge of the plates are brought in contact the knuckles of one plate will register with the knuckles of the opposing plate, as best shown in Fig. 2, whereupon a hinge is formed by passing a suitable bolt through the several registering knuckles. In bending the plates the perpendicular lower section, (1 is made of sufficient length to provide a space, 6, between the upper face of the flange and the contiguous surface of the inclined section 01 In placing the plates in position upon the rail they are secured by the usual bolts and nuts, and the several plates are so disposed that a narrow and wide space, 6, will be obtained, respectively, at each end. The plates having been thus fixed, awedge-shaped key, E, having a fiat under surface and a tapering upper face corresponding to the taper of the section (1 is entered in the spaces 0 at their widest point and driven home the entire length of the plate. The keys E thus firmly connect the plates with the upper flange-surface and supply a wearingsurface which may be re placed at pleasure, which detachable surface, effectually sustaining all wear, renders the plates entirely frictionless.

If in practice it is found desirable, the knuckles maybe dispensed with and the horizontal section 01- terminate between the center and the outer edge of the base; or the two plates may be made of one piece of metal having a continuous bearing upon the base of the rail.

It is necessary in the proper manipulation of the above-described plate that there be a web-bearing, and I desire it distinctly understood that although I have illustrated the hearing at the head of the strap-section I do not confine myself to such location, as an equally satisfactory result may be obtained if the said web-bearing is located at any point in the perpendicular length of the strap-section.

Having thus d escribcd my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a rail and two fishplates having their lower ends hinged beneath the base of said rail, and the under face of the inclined section tapered longitudinally, of a wedgeshaped key intervening the upper flangesurface of the rail, and the under tapering face of the plates, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with a rail and two fishplates having their lower ends hinged beneath the base of said rail and the under face of the inclined section above the flange tapered lon- 

